Don’t coconuts also have a notable side effect if you eat enough of them over time?

Check out [August Engelhardt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Engelhardt), a guy who promoted "cocovorism".

> He developed a philosophy that assumed that the sun was the venerable source of all life, and since the coconut was the fruit that grows nearest the sun, it must be the most perfect food for people. This view, called cocoivorism, culminated in Engelhardt's statement that the constant consumption of coconuts leads man to immortality.

I’m fascinated with this kind of stories and cults. Thanks for sharing. Did you read the book “Imperium” that is about the whole thing (according to Wikipedia)?

I did not, but I learned about him in a German history podcast (Geschichten aus der Geschichte, Episode 141)

Eating any one food for a long time is going to have negative consequences because unless that food is a meal replacement shake, you're going to need to get the vitals not in that food from somewhere.

The alternative, however is death by starvation, so I'd still pick the coconuts.